


Thanks To The Old Friends And The New, To The Family We Were Given And The Family We Choose

by H_L_Hunter



Series: Guess How Much I Love You [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Fluff, Happy Birthday Yasmin!, I am still broken after endgame, Like blink and you'll miss it angst, Loki (Marvel) Lives, Multi, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Major Spoilers, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, You Have Been Warned, sorry this is shit, this is for my friend's birthday, very light angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-29 05:38:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18772288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/H_L_Hunter/pseuds/H_L_Hunter
Summary: The New Avengers Facility was nowhere near as grand as the Compound had been, yet the Manhattan Townhouse had space for everyone. With nine bedrooms and more guest bedrooms, a small gym, two labs in the basement and a rooftop garden, the place was impressive, and when you included FRIDAY in every corner of the building and the tightest security system known to man, it made it the best facility so far.But the thing that made it home was none of this. What made it home was the dining hall.---It's Sunday at the Avengers' household, and this calls for family dinner.SPOILERS FOR ENDGAME, NOTHING MAJOR BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNEDI REJECT YOUR CANON AND SUBSTITUTE MY OWN





	Thanks To The Old Friends And The New, To The Family We Were Given And The Family We Choose

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY YASMIN! Sorry this is so shit but you wanted something fluffy for help with the Endgame pain and I have done my best to provide it. Hope you enjoy!

The New Avengers Facility was nowhere near as grand as the Compound had been, yet the Manhattan Townhouse had space for everyone. With nine bedrooms and more guest bedrooms, a small gym, two labs in the basement and a rooftop garden, the place was impressive, and when you included FRIDAY in every corner of the building and the tightest security system known to man, it made it the best facility so far.

But the thing that made it home was none of this. What made it home was the dining hall.

The walls of the room were covered in photos of the family it would host, from posed pictures to snaps taken on a whim whilst those in the image were not looking. Each was framed with a little note stuck to the corner telling the date it was taken. A chandelier, nothing too fancy, dangled above the long table that held nineteen seats and one adjustable kids chair. Not every chair would be filled at this table each Sunday, but when they were it would always be a special dinner. Everyone had a certain job: if it wasn’t your turn to cook, you would either lay the table or assist with dishing up, or would prepare the living room for the movie afterwards by making a fort out of cushions and blankets. They each had a special plate that would go in their special place, painted by the youngest two occupants of the home one Christmas with a new addition just a few weeks back. When the bell was rung, everyone would settle down in their respective chairs as a constant calm chatter echoed between them.

Sunday dinner was what made the New Avengers Facility home.

That Sunday was a special Sunday as it was not just Sunday Dinner, it was also Peter’s eighteenth birthday. The day had been spent opening presents and celebrating with chocolate and sweets at the Laser-Tag party they’d thrown for their Youngest Avenger, but even Peter himself had said he was most looking forward to spending the evening with his family.

It was Tony and Pepper’s turn to cook, so with a lot of assistance from FRIDAY Tony prepared Peter’s favourite; his grandmother’s lasagne with garlic bread, salad and - for some reason - mashed potatoes. Pepper had made Strawberry Flan for dessert and in the fridge was a Spider-Man themed birthday cake Morgan had picked out from Walmart when she and May went shopping two days prior. It was around six pm that dinner was finally being served and Tony rang the bell to bring everyone to the dining room. In other words, he had FRIDAY call out “DINNER!” as loudly as possible. It was tradition.

Tony was already seated at the head of the table when the others arrived. Steve took his place down the opposite end, with Bucky - sans his metal arm - joining on his left and Sam on his right. Instantly the two Super-Soldiers’ hands entwined on the table, but Steve didn’t break eye contact with Sam as they chatted about a topic Tony didn’t care about. Wanda and Cassie joined the table next, the two girls talking calmly yet the light blush on Cassie’s cheeks seemed to tell another story. They sat next to Sam, and Scott and Hope sat opposite them when they followed in behind. The Langs were visiting for the week; it was rare they made it to Sunday Dinner.

Clint sat next to Wanda and Natasha next to him, the two so close their shoulders were touching. Natasha had somehow switched places with Carol, who now sat opposite Clint and next to Valkyrie whenever she visited from Asgard. Today was one of those days. Carol and Valkyrie greeted one another with a peck on the cheek and Tony could swear he saw Natasha smile.

This was when Peter came running in with Morgan giggling behind him. Peter helped Morgan into her special chair to two seats down from Tony’s left before he took his own seat directly on Tony’s right; the place he had claimed the day the dinners had become a regular thing. He was beaming and wearing a paper crown messily coloured in with crayons, and judging by Morgan’s matching one, it was safe to assume who made them.

Rhodey took the seat next to Morgan and he arrived, the little girl hi-fiving her uncle just as May walked in. She kissed Peter’s hair, then walked around to her seat in between Rhodey and Natasha, the latter of whom she had become a very good friend of. They instantly struck up a conversation that Tony tuned out in favour of watching as Thor untucked Bruce’s chair for him like a true gentleman. Bruce was sat next to Peter, something Tony only slightly regretted as they never stopped talking, and Thor sat on Bruce’s right. At some point in the next minute, Loki slipped in so silently no one seemed to notice.

Loki was the latest addition to their family, though how he managed to deceive death for a third time would take too long to explain and dinner was about to start.

Tony said nothing as his family settled down and continued to talk amongst themselves, but when Pepper walked in with the lasagne dish in her oven-mitted hands, everyone let out a delighted “ooh”. Pepper placed the dish in the middle of the table, right in the middle of the rest of all the food needed to support everyone’s appetites, before she took her own seat in between Tony and Morgan.

“It all smells amazing!” Scott commented and agreement rang out from the others. Tony gave a proud smile; the last time he had cooked lasagna it had burnt to a crisp worse than May’s Christmas cookies eight months ago.

“Of course it does, I cooked it!” Tony replied, earning a jab in his side from Pepper, “with assistance!” he quickly added and earned an rupture of laughter. Even Morgan continued giggling.

It was the times like this that Tony lived for. The times when he got to sit down and enjoy this little part of life without a care in the world, raising his two kids and being there for his family. The domestic side of life he hadn’t gotten to see before, back when he was flying around in a metal suit stopping alien invasions and kicking the asses of ugly purple space grapes. He’d seen two weddings - a third was on the way - his son’s high school graduation, his daughter’s first day of kindergarten, and made plans to add a high chair into the squeeze of a space between him and Pepper when the good news had been announced a month back.

Sure, Tony still worked for Stark Industries and still made all the tech for the Avengers. He wasn’t about to let the new team run about with crappy equipment now was he? But the life he had found was one he cherished every day. Domesticity suited him.

“Whose turn is it to say Grace?” Peter asked, and everyone fell quiet once again. Another tradition. No one at the table was all that religious, but they all agreed that it was good to be thankful for what they had and made sure to say so each time they sat down at the table. How they did so was different for each of them, and in the cases of the three resident Asgardians, included singing.

“Why don’t you do it today, honey?” May suggested. No one gave any argument, so when Peter nodded everyone reached their hands onto the table to hold those of the people next to them. Tony held his left hand out and Pepper placed her right one in his, giving it a quick squeeze.

On his right however…

Peter’s hand hovered above Tony’s shoulder, as if asking permission before touching what remained of the genius’ right arm. The only casualty of the final fight, it had been tough getting used to the loss of his limb, but throughout it all Tony had been grateful that it had not been his life that had been lost. He let go of Pepper’s hand, placing it over Peter’s and guiding it to gently grip his shoulder with the smile he only reserved for those sat around the table (yes, even for Loki). Peter smiled back, then turned to bow his head.

One final look around the room, and Tony saw Hope’s right hand resting on Bucky’s shoulder. He never wore his prosthetic at dinner; he did that for Tony’s sake. It meant more than he would ever say.

“Today we say thanks for the food we have to eat, for the roof over our heads and for the clothes on our backs,” Peter began, and Tony closed his eyes, “we say thanks for the lives we lead and the luck we have that we get to experience it to the fullest of our potential. We say thanks to the old friends and the new, to the family we were given and the family we choose, and to tomorrow where we will grasp the day by the reigns and live it our way. Oh, and a special thank you to Loki for my Bumblebee Wellies; they are the greatest thing I own.” Tony couldn’t tell who it was that snorted a laugh, but it set everyone else off and soon the twenty occupants of the table were saying “Grace” whilst trying not to dissolve into more laughs as well as trying to dish up dinner. Tony did notice the rare smile the Trickster God had flashed his son’s way before he accepted the potatoes.

 

Sunday dinner was what made the New Avengers Facility home, but it was the people who lived there that made it Tony’s home.


End file.
